IT'S A SURE sign of advancing years when you begin to indulge
in nostalgia. It's particularly noteworthy when you long for an
era that chronologically speaking, you essentially missed the
first time around.

But when daylight hours stretch tellingly into the sultry dog
days of summer, I'm reminded of those evenings when my mother
simply couldn't bear to turn on the oven in our non-air conditioned
house in order to cook supper. Instead, she waited patiently for
my father to come home from work so she could convince him to
shed the shirt and tie, load the whole family into our Freon-free
'58 Ford, and head down to the local drive-in diner for hamburgers,
shakes and cones.

An American institution, the drive-in restaurant epitomizes our
ongoing love affair with our cars, an affinity so pronounced that
we even devised a way to eat on wheels. In the 1950s, the drive-in
became the place of shared experience. First dates, Little League
victories, adolescent hijinx and frosted mugs of foamy root beer
swirl in the collective consciousness of untold millions. It was
fast food for sure; but in the days before those arches and corny
Colonels came to town, it was fast food with character--individually
distinct, fresh, and irresistibly quaint.

In the franchise frenzy of more recent decades, the majority
of these mom-and-pop joints have disappeared. But Tucson is fortunate
to have at least two blasts from the past still operating in all
their glory. Want to take a little romp down memory lane, to a
time when cholesterol levels and fat content were the preoccupation
of but an out-voiced few? Then stop by Pat's and Shari's drive-ins
for a delicious time-travel experience.

Pat's Drive-In has been a Tucson institution for nearly 40 years,
beginning first as a small spot downtown and later moving to its
present location on North Grande Avenue, near St. Mary's Road.
A favorite neighborhood hangout as well as a popular place for
office types and ambulance crews to grab a quick bite on the run,
Pat's has gathered a loyal following with its homemade chili con
carne and fresh-cut French fries.

Current owner Carlos "Charlie" Hernandez began working
at Pat's in the mid '60s, while still a student at Tucson High
School. In 1979, Pat's original owner, Henry Patterson, offered
the business to Hernandez, who has carefully tended the esteemed
chili dog tradition ever since. Prices have inevitably risen over
the years, but even taking inflation into account, Pat's continues
to be one of the best meal deals in town. Family specials with
hamburgers, chili dogs and mountains of fries can be had for about
$7, and should handily put a dent in the appetites of a clan of
four.

Burgers with or without cheese, double or single patties, are
also affordable options, as are fried shrimp or chicken. If you've
got a five-spot in your back pocket, you can dine extravagantly
at Pat's. Of course, the chili's the thing here, a phenomenon
about which whole books could be written. Mild or spicy, Pat's
chili is the real deal--no commercial cans used here. Each batch
is whipped up from scratch using whole pinto beans, ground beef,
onions, garlic and a subtle infusion of various herbs and spices.
If you're sampling the spicy rendition of this house specialty,
expect to find some finely chopped jalapeños adding fire
to the mixture. So good is this chili, that it transforms the
most mundane of weenies and spongy buns into culinary works of
art. Topped with a handful of freshly diced onions and grated
cheese, Pat's chili dogs ascend to the ranks of plebeian haute
cuisine. There isn't any fresh-brewed root beer to enjoy at Pat's,
but the pink lemonade makes a congenial substitute and a fitting
complement to the various chili dogs and hamburgers.

Also legendary are Pat's French fries, scrubbed, peeled, sliced
and cooked on the spot to impart a full potato flavor to each
and every snippet. Just to ensure that there are no illusions
about what you're putting into your body, Pat's packs your food
into brown paper to-go bags, which unwittingly disclose the rather
greasy nature of their content. Most people will relish the guilty
pleasure of periodically dining on this kind of fare, but for
the exceptionally squeamish it might be advisable to eat on the
premises, either in your vehicle or at one of a few picnic tables
set up outside.

Not far up the road from Pat's, another retro dining experience
awaits in the guise of Shari's First Avenue Drive-In. More than
a few generations of Tucson residents have come of age under Shari's
exemplary hamburger and milkshake tutelage. Once again, the hallmarks
of Shari's include using all fresh ingredients, nothing that's
frozen (other than the real ice-cream) and fast, friendly service.
On the surface, these attributes may not seem like such a big
deal; but for those of us who've spent way too much time in the
drive-thrus of several chain restaurants, these niceties are not
to be overlooked or under-appreciated.

Shari's hamburgers are worth the drive across town: thick, juicy,
100-percent pure, ground beef patties, grilled over an open flame
until thoroughly cooked, and then slapped across a sesame bun
and topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and dill pickle.
These burgers come closest to the kind you make at home, the advantage
to Shari's being that someone else had to fire up the grill and
clean up the mess. Various sizes are available, ranging from the
typical single patty to a triple cheeseburger.

Even the hot dogs, which appear at first glance to be rather
ho-hum, are elevated to a more interesting state by the fact that
the frank has been searingly grilled prior to being placed in
the bun. A small detail perhaps, but one that yields tremendous
benefits in terms of taste and interest.

For those seeking a change of pace from the usual burger/dog
scheme, Shari's offers chicken and country-fried steak sandwiches,
which aren't going to rescue your arteries, but offer tasty alternatives
nevertheless.

Shari's further distinguishes itself with an awesome array of
milkshake flavors, all of which are made to order with real ice-cream.
It isn't until you sample the creamy goodness of one of Shari's
milkshakes that you fully realize that the chain varieties you've
been settling for possess a grainy, artificial quality. Not only
is the flavor of Shari's milkshakes vastly superior, so are the
choices, which range far beyond the typical trio of vanilla, chocolate
and strawberry to include cherry, butterscotch, coffee, pineapple,
coconut, peanut butter and blueberry. No wonder they say variety
is the spice of life. Prices at Shari's might stray a bit higher
than the chains, but what you lose in total cost, you more than
make up for in overall quality. Simply put, Shari's is better.
Pay up or endure the mediocre consequences.

Time to get in your car, roll down the windows, turn up the radio
and cruise over to Shari's First Avenue or Pat's Drive-In. Whether
you're seeking simple nostalgic gratification or a good, honest
meal that's a value for your money, both of these places should
suit your needs perfectly.